Reverend Cash: Let Us Prey

by Sa'id Salaam

  “Th–th–the p–p–p–police,” she stammered out while riding him hard and fast.

  “The police! Fo’ what?” he asked in mock shock. First Lady just kept right on riding in search of her next nut. He had to grab her hips to stop her in order to get her full attention. “What they want?”

  “My husband dead. They found him in a motel,” she said and pushed his hands away so she could resume her ride.

  “Who killed him?”

  “Huh? I don’t know. They don’t know,” she said irritated by all the questions.

  That was all he needed to hear. He grabbed her hips again and thrusted upwards into her cervix. A minute later they both howled from mutual release aided by good news. Hers was being rid of her husband and his was getting away with murder.

  What he didn’t know was that getting away with murder came with strings attached. The main one was that he would definitely kill again.

  Chapter 33

  “I’m so sorry ‘bout yo’ loss,” Deacon said for the tenth time since Mrs. Paul had arrived at the church. The sentiment was contradicted by the smirk on his face.

  “I just bet you are,” she shot back. With her husband gone the top spot would go to him along with a bigger piece of the pie. Not to mention he wanted a slice of that pie hanging between her legs. He been knew that Pastor was a punk and wasn’t fucking her.

  “Don’t worry, I’m finna send him off in style.” he assured her.

  “Oh, about the eulogy… I think it’s best that we let Reverend Cash send him home,” she said. The man’s heart broke so bad that it nearly exploded out his chest.

  “I… oh… we…” he sputtered as she walked away. The tight black dress she wore stretched tightly over her round ass giving him a going away present.

  “Hey Deacon,” Billy greeted as he arrived.

  “Don’t Deacon me!” he huffed and stormed out. Billy let out a chuckle since he knew what was eating him.

  He’d noticed the man sniffing around behind Mrs. Paul. That’s why he’d been eating her vagina every morning, noon, and night since Pastor had passed. He planned on moving in with her as soon as enough time had passed. Until then he would keep peddling and pimping while preaching on the side.

  ****

  “Take your time!” Lady’s friend called out when Billy took to the pulpit. He looked down at the casket and closed his eyes. It looked like he was saying a silent prayer, but he wasn’t.

  “Don’t worry Pastor. I’ma hold err’thang down for you. I’m fuckin’ yo’ wife real good fo’ you. ‘Tween me and you… you give way better head than she do. Oh, more good news, all your suits fit me just right. If there’s a heaven I doubt yo’ low down ass is going so don’t dress too warmly.”

  “Blessed are the peacemakers…” Reverend Cash began. He had to pause since the church erupted in claps, Amens, and Hallelujahs. He felt a surge of power flow through his whole body. His hair stood on end and his dick got rock hard. Even the gun hadn’t made him feel this powerful. He’d hated throwing it out of the window but he knew the fallacy of keeping a murder weapon.

  Lady closed her eyes, raised one hand, and swayed to the sounds of her son’s voice. Part of it was the dope, but part of it was the fact that he was really spitting. As a matter of fact he sounded quite believable as he sang the praises of the deceased predator in the box below. He couldn’t help but wonder if the man had on panties under his clothes. He vowed to find out if he got a second alone with him, plus he also wanted the suit he had on.

  Deacon sat back with his arms crossed and lips twisted as the boy put on. He scoffed when he sent the collection plates around every few minutes. Reverend Cash was about that bread and even he had to admire that.

  After the church service the congregation moved on to the graveyard. He would have talked for a few more hours and sent the plates around some more if not for Lady. He saw her turning green as the withdrawals began to set in. This congregation was straight from the hood and would know a junkie when they saw one. He had no choice but to wrap it up so he could get her home and give her a fix.

  Billy was the first to toss a little dirt on the casket. The congregation followed as Pastor was laid to rest. Mrs. Paul invited him into her vagina later and he eagerly accepted.

  “I’ll fall through after I check the trap,” he assured her as he left to take Lady home.

  ****

  “Bastard,” Lady muttered in disgust as her son ran the dope into her vein.

  “What I do?” Billy reeled as if she’d slapped him.

  “Not you, baby. You ain’t no… anyway, I mean that damn Leroy,” she sighed. This wasn’t the first time she’d brought his name up when she got high. He decided to wait until the rhythm hit her and then pry for information. This was a classic ‘be careful what you wish for situation’.

  “What about Leroy?” he asked as her head bobbed in a nod.

  “First he put the dick on me then he put me on the dope.”

  “When?” Billy asked soothingly.

  “Soon as you went to jail. Then he tried to make me sell my pussy for him! I ain’t hardly ‘bout to sell my pussy. Lady is a lady!” she huffed indignantly. She’d spent time with men who gave her money but she did not sell pussy. She was a hoe, not a whore.

  “See you later mama,” he growled and got up to leave. He walked out of her room before she could tell him that Leroy was his father. He got Kita ready for the trap and downed a bottle of wine while smoking on a stick.

  He had a simmering rage brewing in him as he drove downtown. The weed and the wine only added fuel to the revelation that Leroy had been the one to put his mama on the dope. The need to cause pain caused him to reach over and jam his fingers inside of the young whore beside him.

  “Oww!” Kita whimpered in pain. It was a futile plea since it fell on deaf ears. He didn’t stop until he’d reached the block. Shonda rushed over to greet him before he could open his door.

  “Hey daddy, don’t leave that bitch out here no mo’! I cain’t watch her. I had to stop her from getting in Georgia Boy’s car last night!”

  “Georgia Boy!” Billy grunted upon hearing the name of the notorious ho stealing pimp from Georgia. Even Leroy had lost a whore or two to the flamboyant pimp. Billy had no control over the vicious back hand that flew into Kita’s cheek. “Bitch, let me hear ‘bout you getting in a pimp’s car!”

  “Keep that lil’ bitch off the track! She ain’t ready!” Shonda demanded, which was a mistake. You don’t make demands to a pimp.

  “Bitch!” Dollar Bill shouted as he sprang from the car. All that could be heard was the ‘pap’ of the slaps and punches from him beating her down. A crowd filed out of the pool hall to watch the show. Leroy just shook his head at the amateur and went back inside. Georgia Boy watched the scene from his car smiling from ear to ear.

  “Okay, okay daddy!” Shonda pleaded once she’d had enough.

  “I’ll… tell… you when… it’s… o… kay!” he replied in between ‘paps’. “Now hit that trap and get my money!”

  “Okay!” Shonda shouted, but still got a swift foot in the ass that lifted her off her feet.

  “Bitches!” Dollar Bill griped as he got back into his car. He lit up another stick and added more fuel to the fire as he set off to make his rounds.

  ****

  “You okay?” he heard at every stop as he went around picking up Leroy’s drug money.

  “Are you!” he shot back each and every time.

  He was already in a foul mood but it was about to get even worse. Billy frowned when he pulled up and didn’t see neither Shonda nor Kita on the track. Shawna came running up with bad news pasted on her face.

  “They gon’! They gon’!” she said fearfully making sure that she was out of pimp slap range.

  “Who? Who gone?” he asked scanning the block. It wasn’t unusual not to see a whore or two since they would be off turning a trick.

  “Shonda and Kita! Georgia Boy don’ stol’ them both!”r />
  “I… um… how?” Dollar Bill mumbled, sounding like Lil’ Billy. He looked like he wanted to cry as he scanned the block for his whores. They had both been long gone since Georgia Boy swooped in and scooped them both up. It was bad already but it was about to get worse.

  All eyes were on Billy as he walked into the pool hall. He wanted to go home and hide but he had to turn in Leroy’s money. All eyes averted when he turned in their direction. Leroy had his mouth twisted into a ‘yeah right’ smirk as Billy approached.

  “Here go yo’ bread,” he said without bothering to sit.

  “Sit!” he demanded as Mandy looked at him with disdain as well. Billy wanted to ask her what she was looking at but held his tongue.

  “I…”

  “You gotta to be the dumbest mothafucka alive! Didn’t I tell you not to put that fresh meat on the street?”

  “I…”

  “You don’t listen! Hardheaded just like yo’ mama!” Leroy said scraping the scab off the wound. “Now that faggot gon’ be braggin’ all over town ‘bout how he don’ bagged one of my bitches. Watch how he gon’ put on at the next pimp convention. Mark my words, he gone have that lil’ bitch on his arm all dolled up!” Leroy fumed.

  “Just stupid,” Mandy co-signed shaking her head.

  “I need a pistol,” Billy announced dryly. The violent request pressed pause on the conversation for a brief second.

  “For what? You ain’t gon’ bus’ nothing!” Leroy laughed. When a pimp laughed his whore laughed and that pushed Billy further into the black hole of rage.

  “Oh I’ma bus’, just get me a pistol,” he assured him.

  “What happen to that pee shooter Byron had? He don’t need it no more,” he said setting off another round of laughter at his expense.

  “I’on know,” he shrugged in reply. Some lies are better than the truth. This was one such lie.

  “A’ight lil’ nigga! Come on, we finna see,” Leroy dared as he stood, and when a pimp stood his whore stood. Billy was the last to stand and follow them outside. He got into his car and followed Leroy out to his house. To his surprise the certified hood nigga didn’t live in the hood. His house was way out in the country calm.

  Billy pulled into the driveway and got out. It was too dark to appreciate the grounds as he followed them inside. Mandy flopped wide legged on the sofa while Leroy marched deeper into the house. Billy took a seat across from her and ignored the crotch shot she offered. Had he bothered looking he’d have seen clear up to her ovaries.

  “We finna see if you gon’ bus’!” Leroy repeated when he returned. He sat down next to Mandy and sat a large revolver on the table. Billy stared at it silently until Leroy barked at him, “Pick it up! How you gon’ bus’ if you scared to touch it?”

  “Is it loaded?” Billy asked as he picked it up to inspect it.

  “Yeah,” Leroy said as his final words. Billy’s first shot slammed him back into the sofa. Leroy looked down in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest. When he opened his mouth to speak Billy pumped another round into his torso.

  “Tol’ him to stopping juggin’ at you,” Mandy shrugged as if it were true. It didn’t matter if it was or not since Billy shot her too.

  “Y’all take care now,” Billy said and nodded politely to the dead bodies as he left them. Only they both weren’t dead. Mandy lay there taking little sips of air as she held on to life with everything she had.

  There were no nosey neighbors to worry about so the coast was clear when he stepped outside. He thought about swapping cars since Leroy wouldn’t be driving anymore, but a headshake later he got into his own car and pulled off. The cocky youngster thought nothing about the Oldsmobile that passed him as he rode away.

  “Dollar Bill,” Smiley muttered as he saw Leroy’s old car pass by on his way to pick up the dope to supply to all the distributors.

  Smiley knocked on the door harder the second time when the first knock went unanswered. The hole in Mandy’s lung prevented her from calling out to him. Smiley knew that the pimp had to be home since his car was in the driveway and he’d just seen Dollar Bill leave. He shrugged his shoulders, opened the door, and ventured inside.

  “What in the world?” Smiley exclaimed when he saw the bloody couple laid back on the sofa. He leaned in to take a closer look and asked Leroy if he was dead. A huge smile spread across his face when he didn’t get an answer.

  “Yassir!” Smiley said and rushed into the room where the dope was kept. After cleaning it all out he then searched for and found Leroy’s cash and jewelry. He was taking the watch off the dead pimp’s wrist when Mandy finally managed to speak.

  “H–h–help m–me–e–e,” she moaned. Smiley thought about putting a pillow over her mouth but couldn’t do it. He felt a tinge of affection for the girl since he’d spent so much time in her mouth over the years. Leroy often tipped him by allowing him to put the tip of his dick on her tonsils.

  “Who did this to y’all?” he asked.

  “D–D–Dollar, Billy,” she replied. Smiley smiled at having a scapegoat to blame the robbery on. If he suddenly came up with the dope right after the murder the blame would certainly fall on him.

  “9-1-1?” he asked when the operator picked up. “I wanna report a killin’…”

  Chapter 34

  “I put together a nice sermon! A real nice sermon, Pastor would be proud,” Deacon Green assured Mrs. Paul. He was still a little salty about not getting to preach at Pastor Paul’s funeral, but surely he would get the nod on this first Sunday afterwards.

  “Reverend Cash will be speaking today,” she said without pause. Her box was still full of the young boy’s cum from an early morning sex session. She then took her usual seat behind the pulpit and the Deacon took his.

  “Y’all mind if I preach to you?” Billy asked softly as he took the mic. The congregation mumbled a reply but that wasn’t good enough for Reverend Cash so he asked again. “I said, do y’all mind… if I… preach to you!”

  “Go on preach!” his hype-man Dwight urged along with the congregation.

  “Yassir! Preach! Well, take your time!” they shouted.

  “I’m finna preach then!” Billy shouted and did just that. He had spent all night and most of the morning inside Mrs. Paul so he hadn’t prepared a sermon. It didn’t show as he freestyled his sermon, making up stuff as he went along.

  Billy noticed a sheriff’s deputy walk in and gave a brief pause. Just when he’d convinced himself that he was just there to hear the word another one walked in. The first two were followed by two more who began to spread out and cover the church’s exits. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that they were there for him. However, his mouth steady spit his made up gospel while he wracked his brain to figure out which murder they were there about and how they knew that he was the killer. Leroy had taught him to never leave a witness, so he hadn’t. He would have to figure it out later, right now he had to figure out a way to get up out of there.

  “I want y’all to close your eyes and bow y’all heads in prayer. Squeeze ‘em tight!” he ordered a couple of the deputies, along with the congregation, closed their eyes and bowed their heads and Reverend Cash took off.

  The stunned congregation watched as he took flight. He hurdled over a railing and through the back of the church. He hit the preacher’s office and shot out the backdoor. He shot straight into the arms of Deputy Black Bear. His real name was Lowell but being six foot five inches tall and weighing three hundred and twenty-five pounds the name Black Bear seemed to fit him better.

  “Hol’ up now Reverend. The Sheriff needs to talk to you,” the gentle giant said as he squeezed him tightly in his arms.

  “Let me go and I’ll…” Billy pleaded but the rest of the deputies arrived and shot him down. They cuffed him up and took him to jail.

  ****

  “Shit!” Billy fussed when he heard his mama raising hell in the police station. He’d been formally charged with the murder of Leroy and assault on Mandy
. Smiley had written a highly embellished statement about having been present when Billy robbed and murdered Leroy. Have Smiley tell it he’d jumped through a window and barely escaped with his life.

  “Un uh! Hell no! I wanna see my boy and I mean I wanna see him now!” Lady demanded. To hell with their visiting days and times, she wanted to talk to him immediately.

  “I’m sorry, Ma’am, we…” Black Bear started to apologize until the sheriff came out to quell the commotion.

  “I don’t see no harm in letting her see her boy for a few minutes,” Sheriff Hartz suggested.

  “Thank you kindly, Sheriff,” Lady nodded as she regained her composure. She smoothed out her dress, straightened her hat, and followed Black Bear into the back.

  “Shit!” Billy repeated when he heard the sheriff give in to his mama. Things were already bad enough without him having to deal with Lady. He expected her to blow up at him but to his surprise she was remarkably calm.

  “Hey son,” Lady moaned as she walked up to the bars. “Is it true?”

  “No, Mama, I ain’t kilt nobody!” he assured her but being that he hadn’t had enough time to practice his lie and make it believable Lady didn’t believe him.

  “Yes, you did,” his mother said shaking her head. A lone tear rolled down her face, she knocked it away halfway down her check. “I know when you lying, child. Why, baby, why?”

  “He kilt Byron,” Billy said softly. It was only half the reason since he was half the reason Leroy had killed him. “Plus, Mama, he was a pimp, a dope dealer, a…”

  “Yo daddy,” Lady added admitting it out loud for the first time. “Boy, you don’ kilt yo’ daddy!”

  ****

  “Killed his daddy!” the red faced redneck judge boomed at Billy’s first hearing. Word had quickly spread far and wide until it had reached him too. “You must’ve thought I was lying ‘bout getting my forty years out of you huh, boy?”

  “Sir, this is just a preliminary hearing,” Billy’s public pretender, not defender because he wasn’t there to defend him, offered meekly. He had no qualms about the forty years, but it had to be done by the books.